2026 Nissan Armada NISMO Review

Oh wow, I’ve got a beauty for you this week!  The 2026 Nissan Armada NISMO represents Nissan’s most performance-oriented interpretation of its full-size, body-on-frame SUV. Built on the latest Armada platform, the NISMO package blends traditional Armada strengths—space, towing capability, and durability—with motorsports-inspired design cues and handling upgrades aimed at buyers who want something more distinctive than a standard luxury SUV. It is like a mullet haircut: business in the front, party in the back, except it is capability and fun, mixed with family and function.

NISMO, short for Nissan Motorsports, is Nissan’s in-house performance and racing division, officially established in 1984 to consolidate the company’s factory-backed motorsports and high-performance engineering efforts. From its earliest days, NISMO has served as the proving ground where racing technology feeds directly into road cars, with deep roots in Japanese touring car racing, endurance competition, and international motorsports. Over the decades, the NISMO badge has become synonymous with precision tuning, enhanced durability, and driver-focused performance, appearing on iconic vehicles such as the Skyline GT-R, Z-car variants, and other global-market models. Today, NISMO functions as both a motorsports powerhouse and a performance sub-brand, representing Nissan’s commitment to blending competition heritage with everyday drivability and this one does it extremely well.

Exterior    

Let’s start with the exterior appearance, something people have been remarking about all week.  It starts with the red accents all around, including the bottom of the front splitter, all along the bottom of the SUV, and across the back.  My tester is a beautiful color called Slate Gray and it has the optional black roof, which looks outstanding with the 22” wheels, also in black. 

Toward the rear, the body cascades up into the back side window and I love that touch, too.  There is a big spoiler in rear with the wiper tucked neatly under it, and there is a low rear splitter. One shocker for me:  I expected quad exhaust tips in the rear and there is nothing.  The NISMO people missed the mark on that, but visibly, I find this to be one of the sharpest-looking SUVs I’ve ever reviewed.

Performance 

Under the big hood, you’ll find a hopped-up 3.5-liter 6-cylinder with twin turbos and a 9-speed automatic. In the regular Armada, you get 425-horses, and 516 pound-feet of torque. But the NISMO folks found a way to pump the horses up to 460 horses and still kept the 516 pound feet of torque. The extra horses are noticeable and will really move this 6,300 pound 4-wheel drive behemoth SUV.  It will also tow up to 8,500 pounds.  But damn, this thing should SOUND like it performs.  Piping a little sound through the speakers isn’t cutting it.  Nothing a muffler shop can’t fix which would be my first stop if I was buying it.

Interior  

Then came a huge surprise for me when I opened the door. Beautiful leather and Alcantara red and black front seats are stunning.  They are slightly bolstered, heavily stitched, and NISMO is embroidered on the headrests.  They are super-comfortable, fully power, they’ll massage you and are heated, but oddly not air conditioned.  I am impressed with the huge amount of stitching across the interior, including the door panels and dash.  The driver and passenger seat is 12-way power and both have power lumbar supports. 

Hit the red start button, and dual 14.3-inch screens come to life and it looks like one continuous huge display.  To the left side is the highly-configurable driver gauge cluster that is colorful and it is easy to read.  It has a digital speedometer in the middle, sign recognition, and a ton of information you control from the heated and power tilting steering wheel.

The other big screen houses the 12-speaker Klipsch stereo system that sounds amazing, navigation system, Bluetooth, voice recognition, settings, and apps for real-time traffic and weather. You also have a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Apple Car play and wireless Android Auto, and Google Assistant, Google maps, Googler Play Store, and Alexa built-in.  It even has a myQ Connected Garage app, which I have used on my iPhone for many years and it’s wonderful.  You also get Sirius XM 360L+.  Everything on the screen is by touch, is simple and easy to navigate through with swipes to the left of right.  Just below the screen, a real volume knob, and all climate control settings.

Moving on down are buttons for the transmission, a button to raise and lower the SUV, and another button to turn off the start/stop, which you’ll want to do every time you start it. There is a round dial there for the many drive modes, which include:  standard, Eco, Sport, tow, snow, sand, rock, and mud/rut.  There is a setting no matter where you find yourself in the new Armada NISMO.

The center console has a wireless phone charger, and you can see the face of your phone while charging.  Under a sliding door there are two cupholders, a couple of USB-Cs, and a 12-volt power supply.  There is an open storage pass-through under the console that is very good-sized and perfect for purses that are not too big.

Second row passengers in this vehicle have captain chairs that are red and black and just as comfortable as the front seats, which you don’t always find.  The second-row seats are heated and they slide forward with one-touch to get to the 3^rd row.  As part of the front console, rear passengers have their own climate controls, can direct the air flow, a couple of USB-Cs, and a 12-volt power supply.

Third row seat room is quite good and they are in a 60/40 configuration so you can fold one side down and seat passenger(s) at the same time.  Two adults and a child would actually be comfortable back there.  3^rd row occupants get USB-C ports and power as well.

Going around to the power, motion activated liftgate, you’ll find over 20-cubic feet of cargo behind the third row. Put the 3^rd row down and cargo space grows to 56-cubic feet of cargo.  Then drop the 2^nd row and you have a massive 97-cubic feet of cargo area.  Best of all, the second and third row seats when folded down form a fully-flat load floor.  In the cargo area at rear, the 3^rd row has power buttons to fold the 3^rd row seat down AND back up, and there are buttons to fold the 2^nd row seats down, but they have to be manually raised.  Also back there is a button to lower the Armada for ease of loading cargo.

Safety   

The Armada features a multitude of standard safety technologies, including Nissan Safety Shield 360, Intelligent forward collision warning, blind spot prevention and lane intervention, trailer blind spot warning, and the wonderful easy fill tire alert.  Then there is the outstanding camera system. Choices include a 3D version of Nissan's Intelligent Around View Monitor, an Invisible Hood View so you can see areas that are normally blind to you and a Front Wide View for seeing past parked cars, buildings, or other obstacles.

Standard Equipment and Options

Standard features on the 2026 Nissan Armada NISMO include NISMO-exclusive front and rear fascias, a unique NISMO grille, gloss-black exterior trim, NISMO badging, LED headlights, daytime running lights, taillights and fog lights, power-folding heated outside mirrors with integrated turn signals, roof rails, acoustic windshield glass, and 22-inch NISMO alloy wheels with a sport-tuned suspension. Inside, you get NISMO-exclusive leather-appointed seating with red contrast stitching, heated front seats, power-adjustable front seats with driver memory, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel with NISMO branding, second-row captain’s chairs, a power-folding third-row seat, tri-zone automatic climate control, ambient interior lighting, aluminum sport pedals, and a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column.

Technology and convenience features include a panoramic power moon roof with a power sliding cover, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in navigation, a wireless charging pad, Bluetooth connectivity, multiple USB-A and USB-C ports, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, a premium Klipsch audio system, remote engine start, keyless entry with push-button start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a power rear liftgate with hands-free operation, power-sliding second-row seats for third-row access, front and rear 12-volt power outlets, interior storage compartments throughout, and underfloor rear cargo storage.

Options are few: There is a $1,495 charge for the black roof, and $565 covers floor mats, a cargo mat, and first aid kit. 

Ride and Drive 

The Armada NISMO drives and handles great with much of the thanks going to the Adaptive Electronic Air Suspension, which helps optimize ride comfort and handling. The system has multiple ride heights depending on circumstance; it can lower at speed to improve aerodynamics.  Other NISMO tweaks include a specially tuned suspension with stiffer springs and dampers, revised steering calibration, upgraded high-performance brakes, larger brake cooling ducts, and chassis enhancements designed to improve body control, cornering stability, and braking confidence while preserving ride quality appropriate for a full-size SUV. Put it all together and you have a great riding and driving big SUV.

Acceleration is strong thanks to the NISMO power train.  For an over 6,000-pound SUV, it will get up a go smoothly and with determination.  The addition of electric power steering made a marked difference in the way the Armada drives and handles.

Fuel economy & Pricing

Fuel economy is OK for an SUV this size at 16 in town, 19 on the highway, and 17 overall.  It seems to be doing slightly better, even driving it normally for me.

MSRP as equipped is $83,735 all-in with options and freight.  While a lot of money, performance SUVs tend to run a lot more and are not as comfortable.

Verdict 

Nissan has done a great job with this all-new, large, performance SUV and if you want one, you better contact one of the Car Pro dealers quickly, these are very limited supply.  My dealer in DFW hasn’t had one yet and so far, has only been allocated one, and this is one of the biggest dealerships in the country.